Sites in Reuse in Nebraska

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10th Street Site

The 10th Street Site Superfund site is located in central Columbus, Nebraska. Sampling by the state in 1983 revealed the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the municipal water supply wells for this community of about 21,000 residents. Further study found three source areas of soil contamination: One Hour Martinizing (OHM), the former Liberty Cleaners and the former Jackson Services facility. All three businesses provided dry-cleaning services involving the use of a common dry cleaning solvent. Based on investigation results, EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. A city ordinance, finalized in 2003, banned use of private ground water wells in the area of contamination. A ground water extraction and treatment system installed in 2004 continues to provide clean water to the municipal water system. The former Jackson Services facility closed in 1988. The City of Columbus leased the area for use as a recycling center until fall of 2012 and OHM continues to operate as a commercial dry-cleaning facility, operated by Prestige Cleaners. Liberty Cleaners is no longer in business.
Updated 1/2013

Bruno Co-Op Association/Associated Properties

The Bruno Co-Op Association/Associated Properties Superfund site is located in Bruno, Nebraska. The site includes two formerly contaminated municipal wells and a ground water plume and is currently an active farmers cooperative. Since the 1940s, grain storage facilities operated on site. Site operators poured or pumped chemicals into the grain to control pests, resulting in the contamination of ground water below the site. In 1986, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health testing detected the chemicals in two wells. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1996. EPA temporarily supplied bottled water to affected residents until a new water supply was eventually connected through a nearby community. Land use controls restrict the use of the contaminated ground water underneath the site. An active farmers cooperative operates on site.
Updated 2/2014

Cleburn Street Well

The Cleburn Street Well Site encompasses several areas of soil and ground water contamination in downtown Grand Island, Nebraska. The Cleburn Street Well was once a drinking water source for the City of Grand Island. The detection of contamination in the well in 1986 resulted in its prompt closure for drinking water purposes. EPA then performed a preliminary assessment in 1987. Based on the findings of EPA-led studies, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1992. Results of a remedial investigation completed in 1993 indicated four separate source areas, including three dry cleaning facilities and a former solvent distribution company. The three dry cleaning source areas include the former One Hour Martinizing (OHM) facility, the Liberty Services facility and the Ideal Cleaners of Grand Island facility. The fourth source area is a former solvents distribution company known as Nebraska Solvents. EPA subdivided the site into five separate operable units (OUs) to help efficiently address each area of contamination. The City disconnected all municipal wells in the vicinity of the site from the public water supply. The City also prohibits ground water use or the installation of wells within the affected area around the site. In the summer of 1993, EPA installed a ground water extraction well at the OHM facility source area. The system contains the contaminated ground water and prevents further migration of the contaminants toward other municipal wells. EPA’s 1996 cleanup plan included in-place soil treatment, ground water extraction and treatment, ground water monitoring, and institutional controls (ICs) to restrict ground water use and prevent exposures. In September 2012, EPA selected an alternate remedy to treat remaining contamination associated with OU1 and OU2 at the former OHM facility. The amended remedy includes in-place thermal remediation of the source area and in-place chemical and/or bioremediation for the ground water plume. A church and an auto mechanic shop currently occupy the former OHM facility. Commercial dry cleaning operations continue at Ideal Cleaners. Additionally, the Grand Island Street Department leases a portion of the former Nebraska Solvents site for storage and maintenance of trucks and equipment, as well as a sign shop.
Updated 9/2014

Garvey Elevator

The Garvey Elevator Superfund site is located in Adams County, Nebraska. From 1959 to 1985, Garvey Elevators, Inc. operated an 8-million bushel capacity grain elevator on a 22-acre parcel of their 106-acre property. Ag Processing, Inc. began operating at the site in 1985 and purchased the 110-acre property in 2005. Chemicals used for pest control in the grain contaminated soil and ground water at the site. The ground water contamination extends about 4 miles from the facility in an east-southeasterly direction. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2005. Before declaring bankruptcy in April 2008, Garvey Elevators, Inc. connected affected residences to the municipal water supply and constructed water and soil treatment systems to address site contamination. EPA completed additional site investigations in 2011 and is currently designing the site’s final remedy to address remaining soil and ground water contamination. Ag Processing, Inc. continues to operate the 22-acre grain storage facility and cultivate crops on the remaining 88 acres.
Updated 2/2014

Hastings Ground Water Contamination

The Hastings Ground Water Contamination Superfund site in Hastings, Nebraska, is one of EPA's largest and most complex ground water cleanup projects. In 1983, the State of Nebraska investigated resident concerns regarding contamination in the water supply. Investigations revealed that industrial solvent chemicals and commercial grain fumigants migrated downward through area soils and into the ground water. As a result, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986. Cleanup activities included establishing an institutional control area, providing an alternate water supply for affected users, conducting a well inventory, and implementing a ground water monitoring program in 2001. Due to its size and complexity, EPA divided the site into seven sub-sites for investigation and cleanup purposes. Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on behalf of the Department of Defense and in collaboration with EPA and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, has addressed most of the surface soil contamination at the former Naval Ammunition Depot sub-site through cleanup actions. In addition, construction of a ground water extraction and treatment system is under way at the Naval Ammunition Depot. At the other sub-sites, access to areas of contamination at the ground surface is limited. These areas should not present a current risk to human health. Long-term ground water cleanup continues at a number of the sub-sites. Contaminated well closures and the monitoring program have greatly reduced the potential for exposure to hazardous substances. From the outset of the cleanup, EPA and the City of Hastings focused on ways to benefit the local community. Several private and public entities now occupy the former Naval Ammunition Depot, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Nebraska National Guard, Central Community College and a few private landowners. Additionally, the Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District maintains about 1,000 acres of the site as the McMurtry Waterfowl Production Area. The area provides protected habitat for various species of migrating birds, whitetail deer, burrowing owls and prairie dogs. In addition, the City uses treated ground water to irrigate the city park. When irrigation water is not required, the water flows to a manmade lake.
Updated 6/2014

Lindsay Manufacturing Co.

The Lindsay Manufacturing Co. (LMC) Superfund site is located in the Village of Lindsay, Nebraska. In 1961, the plant was constructed and in 1965, LMC began operations on site. LMC currently operates a manufacturing facility on 42 acres, manufacturing galvanized irrigation sprinkler equipment. Between 1971 and 1982, the facility discharged process wastes into an unlined earthen lagoon on site. Use of the pond ceased in 1983, when three monitoring wells showed contamination. In addition, the discharge of solvents associated with plant operations to the ground at the Lindsay property released volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the environment. These improper waste management activities resulted in the contamination of the ground water beneath the facility. In 1982, during construction of an on-site treatment facility for the company's waste, LMC discovered ground water contamination. As a result, the facility stopped using the unlined pit for disposal of its acidic wastes and began treating the ground water. In 1989, EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL). After the site listing, EPA expanded the cleanup to include area soil. While working with LMC, EPA invited the company to consider an innovative technology study demonstrating the use of sprinkler equipment in hazardous waste cleanups. This not only presented a business opportunity for LMC, but also prompted the firm to use the idea for cleanup at its own site. EPA approved the plan in April 1997 and now both LMC and the farmer whose wells were affected by the contamination are benefiting from this unique cleanup approach. LMC modified the ground water pumping system, and EPA and the state are allowing the use of treated ground water as seasonal irrigation for the farmer's alfalfa crops. What began as a routine ground water cleanup became a partnership between the responsible party and a neighboring farmer, reducing the operating cost of the ground water cleanup system by about $100,000 per year.
Updated 2/2014

Nebraska Ordnance Plant (Former)

The 17,000-acre Nebraska Ordnance Plant (Former) Superfund site is located in Mead, Nebraska. The site operated from 1942 to 1956 as a munitions production plant during World War II and the Korean War. U.S. Army operations included loading, assembling and packing munitions at four load line facilities. The U.S. Army also used the plant for munitions storage and ammonium nitrate production. The U.S. Air Force built and maintained three Atlas missile silos at the facility from 1959 to 1964. Some of the processes associated with the U.S. Air Force operations used organic solvents. Routine plant operations included washout of explosive materials prior to bomb loading and assembly, and bomb washing following assembly. Site operators discharged wash water to sumps and in open ditches. Decades of various plant operations resulted in the widespread contamination of area soil and ground water with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and explosives. In 1989, the U.S. Army determined that a private well was contaminated. EPA immediately responded by providing the owners with bottled water, which later was provided by the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army has since installed carbon filtration systems at that residence and several other residences with water supplies impacted by site contamination. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. The U.S. Army began an investigation in 1991 to determine the nature and extent of soil contamination at the site. Completed in 1998, EPA’s final cleanup plan involved the on-site incineration of 16,500 cubic yards of explosive-contaminated soils. The U.S. Army conducted an investigation into the nature and extent of ground water contamination at the site in 1994. The selected remedy to address ground water contamination involved the construction of a pump and treat system. Today, the major production area of the former plant, about 9,000 acres, belongs to the University of Nebraska. The university operates its Agricultural Research and Development Center (ARDC) at the site and uses ground water for crop irrigation and livestock watering. The U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve retained about 1,000 acres for training. The U.S. Army retained 12 acres for use as a Nike Missile Maintenance Area. The U.S. Air Force acquired 2,000 acres to build the Offutt Air Force Base Atlas Missile Site. The U.S. Department of Commerce acquired 40 acres and numerous private individuals and corporations own the remaining acreage. At the former administration buildings, various commercial enterprises are in operation, including insulation board manufacturing and expanded styrene foam packing material processing.
Updated 1/2013

Omaha Lead

The 17,291-acre Omaha Lead Superfund site is located in Douglas County, Nebraska. From the early 1870s until 1997, a lead-refining plant operated on 23 acres of the site in downtown Omaha. Operations at the site resulted in the emission of lead and other heavy metals into the atmosphere. Wind transported the chemicals and deposited them on the ground surface. Sampling of soil on more than 41,000 residential properties found widespread lead contamination. Additionally, blood sampling of young children shows a high rate of elevated blood lead levels in areas near the former lead refinery. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2003. Cleanup activities include removal of soil from childcare facilities and residential properties, cleaning of home interiors and public health education. Additional cleanup activities include stabilizing paint on homes to avoid recontamination by the lead in paint. About 15,000 residential properties on the site require cleanup for lead contamination.
Updated 10/2013

Sherwood Medical Co.

The 60-acre Sherwood Medical Co. site in Norfolk, Nebraska, consists of the manufacturing plant property and nearby wells contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Since 1962, Sherwood Medical Co. has manufactured disposable medical supplies, which led to the site's contamination. The site was added to the National Priorities List in 1992 and cleanup included excavation and in-situ vapor extraction, ground water extraction and treatment, ground water monitoring, provision of drinking water to nearby trailer park and to affected and industrial properties, and removal of the septic and underground storage tank systems. The site remains in industrial use by Sherwood Medical Company.Updated 1/2013